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Specimen Pooling as a Diagnostic Strategy for Microbiologic Confirmation in Children with Intrathoracic Tuberculosis

Elisabetta Walters1, Marieke M van der Zalm1, Anne-Marie Demers1

  • 1From the Desmond Tutu TB Centre, Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University.

The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal
|November 13, 2018
PubMed

Insights

Pooling respiratory specimens from children with suspected pulmonary tuberculosis did not significantly alter diagnostic yield compared to a single gastric aspirate. This finding supports efficient sample collection for diagnosing childhood tuberculosis.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Microbiology

Background:

  • Pediatric tuberculosis diagnosis remains challenging, often requiring invasive procedures.
  • Non-invasive respiratory sample collection methods are crucial for accurate diagnosis in children.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the diagnostic yield of pooled respiratory specimens for detecting pulmonary tuberculosis in young children.
  • To compare the effectiveness of pooled gastric aspirates, induced sputum, and nasopharyngeal aspirates with single gastric aspirates.

Main Methods:

  • Collected gastric aspirate, induced sputum, and nasopharyngeal aspirate from 304 children with suspected pulmonary tuberculosis over two consecutive days.
  • Pooled specimens collected on the second day for individual analysis using Xpert and culture.
  • Compared diagnostic yield of pooled specimens against a single gastric aspirate.

Main Results:

  • No significant difference in diagnostic yield was observed between pooled specimens (Xpert and culture) and a single gastric aspirate.
  • This suggests that pooling samples does not compromise the detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Conclusions:

  • Pooling respiratory samples is a viable strategy for diagnosing pediatric pulmonary tuberculosis.
  • This approach may streamline laboratory workflows without sacrificing diagnostic accuracy.

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